The Deaf Community
and Tobacco:

Monday, April 6, 2009
The Deaf Community and Tobacco
By Edward “Richard” Walker III,

In the tobacco industry it doesn’t matter who buys their products, just that
their products are sold. These tobacco products are sold to people of all
ages and all parts of society. Anyone from a middle school student to a
seventy year old dying from emphysema buy these tobacco products. So why
would the tobacco industry effect the deaf community any differently than
the hearing community? Well there are actually a few reasons. To start the
fact that someone can or can’t hear doesn’t effect whether you can become
addicted to tobacco products. In actuality the deaf community can be more
susceptible to becoming addicted. This is because all of he campaigns
against the use of tobacco are directed towards the majority of society
which is hearing people. So as a result the deaf community might see a
commercial against drug use, but there isn’t any interpreter to sign what
the commercial is saying. Another reason that the deaf community is more
susceptible is because often times deaf children fall to peer pressure to
try and fit in more with the majority of society. This is unfortunate but
true. Sadly there isn’t much that has been done to bring the deaf community
up to speed and help them overcome this obstacle. To start, the best way to
prevent tobacco use is to keep people from using them altogether. This means
educating the younger generation on what tobacco products do to you over
time. For example using tobacco products will shorten your lifespan by 15
years (CDC). Also for every four-thousand high school students who try
smoking about half of them continue smoking for the next five years or more
(CDC). So what can be done to help the younger deaf generation and prevent
them from using tobacco products? There should be more awareness about these
statistics and a program should be made that is specifically for deaf
students of all ages. Because the earlier you spread the message, the sooner
these kids will become aware. Fortunately there has been a program made at
the University of California Los Angeles that is specifically for the deaf
community and the fight against tobacco and drug use. There is a video and
pamphlets as well as handouts for kids to become aware of the situation with
tobacco and drugs and to help them not succumb to the rest of society.
Overall this is good for the deaf community but there should be more done to
help prevent the use of tobacco and drugs in the deaf community. Everything
that the hearing community has the deaf community should have as well.
Commercials against tobacco use should have interpreters involved as well.
There should be school programs that prevent kids from using tobacco and
drugs. Parents should be involved and talk to their kids about the pressures
of society and that they don’t have to give into peer pressure. Overall this
is a good start for the fight against tobacco and drug use and it needs to
keep going.